Relax, Un-wine for a Moment

This week has the makings of a very good, easy-going week. We are studying Wines II. Today was a pleasurable tour through the Piedmont area of Italy where one of my favorite wines finds its home - none other than Barolo and also its kissing cousin Gattinara from the delicious, heavenly Nebbiolo grape. During our tasting of the Pio Cesare (my favorite producer) Barolo I couldn't help but think of a big juicy Porterhouse steak with slices of garlic and a drizzle of olive oil. It's really a shame not to have the food to go with the wine to further display the profiles of the various varietals and vintages, but I had to suffer through just rolling it down my mouth and into the wine keeper located between my rib cage.

We also tried a Chianti and then a Chianti Classico. What a world of difference even though it uses the same Sangiovese grapes and same first name. I can tell you not to order that Chianti in the cutesy little raffia decorated bottle but hey, you may want the bottle just to make a candle holder. So just pour out the wine (?) and stick in a candle. Serve the Chianti to your mother-in-law and you drink the Chianti Classico! Trust me on this. The first Chianti is a two pucker paint thinner. Have a problem cleaning your BBQ grill? Use that stuff.

Yesterday was also memorable. We had a taste of a really nice Moscato d'Asti [Muscat grapes]. It was a Frizzante, meaning it had a little zip of bubbly fizz to it. I really liked it even though it was white! It's a nice wine to take to a picnic on a sunny day (serve it cold). The flavor of the muscat grapes was really enchanting. Fruity, slightly sweet but so sunny and cheerful on the mouth. It felt like I swallowed Tinkerbell while picnic-ing with Peter Pan.

Tomorrow we are moving into the sacred land of the "Super Tuscan's". Some of the Tuscan Winemakers have a Devil May Care attitude about laws and regulations and make wines to suit themselves (bless their little hearts). Even though these great wines have a Grading of a mere Table Wine they will knock you off your table! Robust, hearty and unbelieveably round in the mouth. Yum (not a culinary term). I'll have to sneak in a T-bone steak or leg of lamb somehow to class. Those clever Italian winemakers add some Cabernet Savignon grapes to their flavorful Sangiovese grapes when making these wines. Its enough to make you want to move to Tuscany. Like I need a reason. Thank God for BevMo.

We really are treated to some excellent wines that would cost $60 retail and upwards of over $120-$200 in a restaurant per bottle. (getting some return on our tuition) Our instructor is a wine connoisseur and wine writer for The Connisseur's Guide to CA Wines, a monthly magazine. He is very informative and knows a vat full about wines.

We savored (I did at least) a Tignanello Super Tuscan today. Wow. I feel like I was introduced to a bad habit. This one can grow on your palate and deflate your wallet at the same time. It's a double hitter! Maybe more hits actually...

I was also impressed by a new kid on the block (for me) called an Amarone Valpolicella. I learned that these grapes get "rasinated" after picking to add more VAVOOM to the wine during fermentation. Rasinated is just what it sounds like. Most of the moisture is evaporated making the shrivelly little morsel even sweeter and stronger. This whole experience of the Amarone "raisinated" grape had me feeling like I ran into a old classmate from High School. You just have so much to catch up on, all night long. I definitely want to meet more family members named Amarone.

Its been a great day learning so much more than before and tasting so many varietals from different regions. The weeks not over yet! Hey, someone's gotta do it. Pick Me! Pick Me!!